The Chicago Dojo Wars refer to a series of intense and violent mid-20th-century rivalries, culminating on April 24, 1970, in a deadly clash between competing martial arts schools.The Chicago Dojo Wars refer to a series of intense and violent mid-20th-century rivalries, culminating on April 24, 1970, in a deadly clash between competing martial arts schools.The Chicago Dojo Wars refer to a series of intense and violent mid-20th-century rivalries, culminating on April 24, 1970, in a deadly clash between competing martial arts schools.

At the center of this conflict was John Keehan, a highly charismatic Chicago martial arts pioneer who legally changed his name to Count Juan Raphael Dante and advertised himself in comic books as the “World’s Deadliest Man Alive”. While Dante broke barriers by welcoming Black and Hispanic students into his Black Dragon Fighting Society, his escalating feuds with traditional clubs transformed the local martial arts scene into a dangerous underground battleground.